Yet it is of such grave importance that one who desires to qualify as a good servant of Christ Dare Not Avoid It lest he be found wanting in the day of reckoning.
Someone should tackle the problem in the light of Scripture.
God's people will have reason to thank the man who has the courage to deal with it.
Four considerations should govern our Christian giving...
They are: (1) That we give regularly; (2) that we give from a right motive; (3) that we give enough in proportion to what we possess, and (4) that we give to the right place or places.
First, we should see to it that we give of our substance to the Lord with regularity.
It is so very easy to fall into the habit of forgetting to do this.
We tell ourselves that we are not able to give at the moment, but that when we are better fixed financially we shall catch up on our giving.
Or we assure ourselves that while we do not give regularly we no doubt give far beyond our tenth, if the truth were known.
These are sure ways to deceive ourselves.
Spotty, unregular giving has a way of appearing far greater than it is.
We would likely be quite shocked if we took the trouble to find out just how little we really give that way.
Then we must give from a right motive.
Money paid to a church or missionary society may be for the giver money wasted unless he first makes sure that his heart is in his gift.
Gifts that do not carry the heart with them may do the receiver some good, but it is certain that they will bring the giver no reward. "Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor... and have not charity(love), it profiteth me nothing."
Then it is also important that we give enough in proportion to what we possess.
The story of the widow and her two mites makes this very clear.
The widow gave out of her "poverty," and though her gift was small it was in the sight of God a far greater treasure than all the huge sums donated by the rich "out of their abundance."
This is a Solemn Warning and we shall do well to Heed It.
We humans judge "after the sight of our eyes" and so are prone to make a great deal over a large donation and pass over the small ones without comment.
By so doing we are letting ourselves in for a fearful shock in the day of Christ.
The safest rule to appraise our giving and determine our expectations in the day of rewards is this...
Remember, my giving will be rewarded not by how much I gave but by how much I had left.
Ministers are sometimes tempted to shy away from such doctrine as this lest they offend the important givers in their congregation.
But it is better to Offend Men than to grieve the blessed Spirit of God which dwells in the church.
No man ever yet killed a true church by withdrawing his gifts from it because of a personal offense.
The Church of the Firstborn is not dependent upon the patronage of men.
No man has ever been able really to harm a church by boycotting it financially.
The moment we admit that we fear the displeasure of the carnal givers in our congregations we admit also that our congregations are not of heaven but of the earth.
A heavenly church will enjoy a heavenly and supernatural prosperity.
She cannot be starved out.
The Lord Will Supply her needs.
That we place our gifts intelligently is also of vital importance if we would please our Heavenly Father and save those gifts from the fate of "wood, hay and stubble" at the coming of our Lord.
The matter of where to give is a large one, and one that we had all better settle while we can.
Careless, unintelligent and prejudiced giving is wasting millions of consecrated dollars among evangelical Christians.
Many believers toss their gifts around as if they did not expect to give an account of them to the Lord.
They have not found the mind of the Lord on the question of their own giving, so they become the prey of anyone who happens along with an interesting story.
In this way innumerable religious rackets are enabled to flourish which should Never Receive One Cent from serious-minded and God-honoring people.
Now, we are quite aware that the reply to the above could be a polite request that we stay in our own back yard and let people put their own money where they please; after all it is theirs, and what they do with it is their own affair.
But it is not that simple.
If we must Give Account of every idle word, surely we must also Give Account of every idle dollar.
Spotty, prayerless and whimsical giving will come under the just scrutiny of God in the day when He judges every work of men.
We can do something about this whole thing now.
Very soon it will be too late.
~A. W. Tozer~
I want to repeat the first part of this devotional before proceeding into this next part
The whole question of the believer and his money is so involved and so intimate that one hesitates to approach a consideration of it.
Yet it is of such grave importance that one who desires to qualify as a good servant of Christ Dare Not Avoid It lest he be found wanting in the day of reckoning.
Someone should tackle the problem in the light of Scripture.
God's people will have reason to thank the man(or woman) who has the courage to deal with it.
There are many areas of giving addressed in the word this particular devotional is addressing our obligation to support fulltime workers in the work of the LORD. and the word is very clear on that of which we will be getting into what the LORD says about it
Paul did not force the people to do this he wasn't going to command them to do this even though he could have and he didn't because he did not want to be a stumbling block to people or harm the gospel in any way.
Even though he knew what the lord ordained and commanded his people to do in this area He also knew people had to do this freely out of love for God His Word and his True ministers
1Co 9:12 If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
What power over them was he talking about?
1Co 9:11 If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?
In other words he would suffer being without or whatever so as not to hinder the gospel.
But he also did not fail to preach the whole counsel of God which the subject of giving to God's work is part of that whole counsel.
God wants willing vessels to be willing to do what He says in the word to do in all areas.
Paul was going to Jerusalem to minister unto the saints
Rom 15:27 It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty(obligation) is also to minister unto them in carnal things.
For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things: the Gospel, and the doctrines of it, which are spiritual things; contain and make known spiritual blessings; impart spiritual gifts; in which the Spirit of God is greatly concerned, he is the author of them; he leads men into them; qualifies them to preach them unto others; blesses and succeeds them to the conversion; comfort, and edification of souls; and by means of which he himself is received as a Spirit of illumination, sanctification, and faith: and which doctrines also relate to the spiritual and eternal welfare of the souls and spirits of men; hereby they are enlightened, quickened, comforted, and nourished up unto eternal life:
Wherefore, since this is the case, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things; in outward and temporal things; in things pertaining to the flesh; or outward man, and for the clothing and nourishment of the body.
This he said to stir them up for they were under the same obligations to make a contribution for them likewise.
Paul once again
1Co 9:11 If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?
If we have sown unto you spiritual things,.... The preachers of the Gospel are compared to sowers of seed; the seed they sow is the word of God, which is like to seed, for its smallness and despicableness in the eyes of carnal men; and yet as the seed is the choicest which is laid by for sowing, the Gospel is most choice and excellent to True believers;
Is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? meaning temporal ones, what concern the flesh, the body, the outward man, and the support thereof.
Nor should it be thought any hardship or burden upon them, or any great and wonderful thing done by them, to support and maintain such who are so useful to their souls, and the spiritual welfare of them.
Gal 6:6 Let him that is taught(inform instruct,teach) in the word communicate(to share, distribute) unto him that teacheth in all good things.
Let him that is taught in the word,.... Instructed in the knowledge of the word, either of the essential Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, of his person, office, and grace; or rather of the written word, particularly the Gospel, as the words of truth, the word of faith, the word of righteousness, the word of reconciliation, and the word of this salvation...communicate to him that teacheth; who is commissioned, and qualified and sent forth by Christ, and whose office is to teach the word, to preach the Gospel, to instruct men in the truths of it, and teach them their duty also to God and men, such are to be communicated to...
That is, such as are under their instructions ought to impart of their worldly substance to them, for their honourable and comfortable support and maintenance...
For since they spend their time, and make use of their talents, gifts, and abilities, for their instruction in spiritual things, it is but reasonable, and no such great matter, that they partake of their carnal things; and especially since it is the will and ordinance of Christ, that they that preach the Gospel should live of it.
1Co 9:14 Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.
Because of their preaching the Gospel, they should be supplied with the proper necessaries of life
1Ti 5:17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
1Ti 5:18 For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.
Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn; The ox, for its strength and labour, is a fit emblem of a Gospel minister; and its treading the corn out of the husk and ear aptly represents the beating out, as it were, of Gospel truths, by the ministers of it, their making the doctrines of the Gospel clear, plain, and evident to the understandings of men...
Wherefore, as the ox was not muzzled when it trod out the corn, but might freely and largely feed upon it, so such who labour in the preaching of the Gospel ought to have a sufficient and competent maintenance: for which purpose this citation is made...
So fellow helpers of the truth in preaching of it, by making use of the ministerial gifts bestowed upon them; and others are fellow helpers with them, to the same good work, by their communicating(sharing,distributing) freely to the support of those, who labour in the word and doctrine;
Amen and Amen
